Communism in India

Events, Processes and Ideologies

Bidyut Chakrabarty

Presents a sweeping analysis of the changing nature of communist ideology over the past century in India

Focuses on both the social democratic and radical extremist versions of communism

Chakrabarty is an expert on contemporary Indian political economy and social movements

Communism in India

Events, Processes and Ideologies

Bidyut Chakrabarty

Description

In Communism in India, Bidyut Chakrabarty-an expert on contemporary Indian political economy and social movements-presents a sweeping analysis of the changing nature of communist ideology over the past century in India.

The history and development of India's left movements are unique in that the country is home to two coexisting strands of modern communism. The first of these is the parliamentary Communist Party of India, which constituted the first democratically-elected Marxist government in the country. The parliamentary left subscribes to a social-democratic philosophy, turning to the traditional democratic institutions of governance in their quest to fulfill the Marxist-Leninist goal of establishing a classless society. The second, oppositional, strand is the revolutionary Maoist movement. This branch rejects parliamentary democracy as a means to altering class-relations, as they see the government as an elite organization dedicated to the status quo and age-old system of class exploitation.

Drawing on ethnographic field work conducted in Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, Chakrabarty provides a contextual account of the rise, consolidation, and decline of these two types of left radicalism. He looks at how it is that left ideology has coexisted with free-market-oriented economic policies, as well as the contexts in which more militant strands have taken root, particularly among the young in poorer districts.

Communism in India

Events, Processes and Ideologies

Bidyut Chakrabarty

Table of Contents

PrefaceList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPart I Parliamentary Left in IndiaChapter 1: Parliamentary left in Tripura: a creative blending of ideology and organization prevailing over ethnic divisionChapter 2: Parliamentary left in Kerala: a creative socio-political engineering of governanceChapter 3: Parliamentary left in West Bengal: organizational hegemony established through an ideological churningChapter 4: Parliamentary left in West Bengal: a nemesis failing to re-kindle the old charm in globalizing IndiaPart II Left-Wing-Extremism in IndiaChapter 5: Genesis of Maoism in IndiaChapter 6: The Maoist blueprint for future IndiaChapter 7: Maoism: a utopia or 'Jacobean' reign of terror? ConclusionAppendix: Party Constitution of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)NotesBibliographical Notes with Select BibliographyIndex

Communism in India

Events, Processes and Ideologies

Bidyut Chakrabarty

Author Information

Bidyut Chakrabarty is Professor of Political Science at Delhi University.

Communism in India

Events, Processes and Ideologies

Bidyut Chakrabarty

Reviews and Awards

"Communism in India is a wide-ranging, deeply informed, insightful and personally engaged book. Bidyut Chakrabarty is a world-renowned expert on Indian communism who here explores the regional diversity, social foundations, varied efficacy, and decline of old communist parties at a time when neo-liberal economic policies have fostered the rise of Maoist movements in many parts of India." --David Ludden, New York University